Wasila is an Effective way of Getting our prayers (Duas) answered at times of difficulty, uncertainty, and stress such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.

We can use our good deeds to call upon Allah to answer our prayers and supplications. Backed by hadeeth and Qur’ran.

Delivered by: Shaykh Mahmood Hasan Koli.

Video Transcription

بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله وعلى آله وصحبه ومن والاه، أما بعد

At times of financial crisis we realise how important it is to have an emergency accounts and emergency fund, because it provides a peace of mind, and it protects against unexpected expenses. While similarly it is as important, if not more to establish an emergency fund, an emergency account, not only with money, but also with good deeds (العمل الصالح). Because just as one may have recourse to an emergency account, to an emergency fund on a rainy day during times of financial stress, financial difficulty. Likewise the intelligence believer has a store, has a reserve full of good deeds for at least some good deeds that the believer may have recourse, have access to at times of difficulty, at times of stress, at times of calamity, at times of challenges in this world.

Usually when we worship Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala when we do the ibadah of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala the mindset that we have is that this will benefit me in the hereafter, and that’s important, and that’s true, and that’s correct. But actually let me teach you, and let me share with you a religious a spiritual hack that will allow you to benefit though your good deeds in this world and in this life, whilst you are living, before you benefit through your good deeds in the hereafter, in the aakhirah, and in the afterlife. Yes we will benefit, our good deeds will help us Inshallah bi’ithnillah in the hereafter, but actually we can use those good deeds to benefit ourselves, and benefit others in this world, whilst we are alive.

How so? This is called التواصل بالعمل الصالح  getting close to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, finding a way to ask Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala to accept our dua to fulfil our needs thorough a particular deed that we have done or deeds that we have done. Generally when we do dua to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala we say “Oh Allah forgive me” “Have mercy on me” “Allow me to pass this exam” “Allow me to get this job that I want” “Oh Allah make my children riotous” “Oh Allah so and so, so and so”.

And yes that’s the general way we do dua, and that’s ideal and that’s the good way of doing dua as well. But there’s another way of doing dua, there is another method of doing dua to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. Especially at times of crisis, wherein there’s a higher possibility of that dua being accepted though the other methods, and what’s that method. “Oh Allah deliver me from this problem” “Oh Allah allow me to pass my exams” “Oh Allah make it easy for me” “Oh Allah grant me relief” because of so and so, such and such good deed that I have done. The charity that I gave yesterday. I helped my neighbour two days ago. I did this five days ago. Oh Allah I did that deed for your sake, but though that deed, by the means of that deed, oh Allah accept my dua. And from our religious text, and from the hadeeth literature particularly as well as the Qur’an for example before I get to. Before I share a hadeeth with you from the hadeeth literature, this is established from the Qur’an itself. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala in surah 5, surah Al-Ma’idah, ayah 35 says:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ

Believers! Be conscious, be mindful of Allah.

وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ

And seek, find means and ways to come closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. Find ways, alternatives, different ways to get closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, so this is called Al-Wasilah.

Allah speaks about this, At-Twasul. Allah speaks about this in other verses aswell in the Qur’an, for example in surah Al-Isra:

أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ يَبْتَغُونَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمُ الْوَسِيلَةَ أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ وَيَرْجُونَ رَحْمَتَهُ وَيَخَافُونَ عَذَابَهُ  

And other verses of the Qur’an as well, anyway at times of great stress and calamity an effective way of asking Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala to grant us relif and to deliver us from our challenges and from our difficulties is to call onto Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala to beseech Allah, to implore Allah though some good deeds that we’ve done.

The famous hadeeth of the three men that were trapped in a cave narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar Radi-Allahu anhu recorded by Al Imaam Bukhari as well as Imaam Muslim in their shahi collections. It’s a lengthy hadeeth, however let me just share the crux of the hadeeth with you.

There were three individuals that were travelling, and they took refuge in a cave, and a bolder fell and blocked and shut the entrance of the cave. They tried removing this bolder, they couldn’t, they failed and they all realised and agreed let’s call onto Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and ask him to deliver us from this predicament, from this dilemma, from this problem, through a good deed we’ve all done. So one after the other they all do dua to Allah. “Oh Allah!, remove us from this cave, show us a way out of this cave, due to, by means of such and such good deed that I have done.

And each one them take turns to do dua to Allah, by the time the third completed his dua, Allah made a way out of that cave for them. So at times of difficulty, at times of stress, at times of uncertainty, at times of fear, at times of wide spread pandemic, let’s ask Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala to make it easy for us, to deliver us from this difficulty, from this pandemic, from this diseases, from this crises, by-means of some good deed that we’ve all done. The more secret the deed, the more effective it is. The more secret the deed the more effective it is.

You know the famous hadeeth of the seven individuals, or seven categories of people, also recorded in the sahi collections of Imaam Bukhari as well as Imaam Muslim, this time narrated by Abu Hurairah Radi-Allahu anhu. Messenger of Allah Salla Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam says: Seven individuals will be given shade under the divine shade of the throne of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala on judgement day when there would be no shade, except the shade of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. That would be a day of great distress, anxiety, panic, trepidation, yet the seven categories of people will be at ease, they will be at calm. One group, one category.

رجل تصدق بصدقة فأخفاها حتى لا تعلم شماله ما أنفقت يمينه

An individual who gives charity, an individual who is generous, who is charitable, who helps others in such a secretive manner, that  what the individual does with the right hand, even the left hand does not know. So the more secret the deed, the more effective. So my humble request to myself, and a reminder to all of you is, whilst others are busy stock piling there store rooms with the pasta, toilet roles, hand sanitizer and so on, in addition to purchasing whatever we need and require, lets stock pile good deeds, lets panic to do العمل الصالح and good deeds, and do Dua to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, that “Oh Allah, deliver us, grant us relief, Oh Allah make it easy for us during these times of trial and crises, by means of such and such good deeds العمل الصالح that we have done.

May Allah azzawajal make it easy for all of us, may Allah protect us all, protect our families, may Allah grant shifa and cure to all those that are ill, and those believers that have passed away, may Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala grant them the stage and maqam of the soohadah and the martyrs. Ameen.

وصلى الله وسلم على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين.
وآخر دعواهم أن الحمد لله رب العالمين